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entrepreneurship

Next deadline approaching for Betaspring hopefuls

THE 15 COMPANIES from Betaspring's most recent session made their final presentation May 2, and now the startup accelerator is reminding would-be entrepreneurs that the early application deadline is coming up for its fall session, which begins Aug. 26.

PROVIDENCE – Betaspring is reminding would-be entrepreneurs that the early application deadline for its fall accelerator session in Tuesday, May 21, with the final deadline coming on June 12. As an incentive to get applications in early, those who do meet the early deadline will be able to attend Betaspring Experience Day on June 6, during which the program leaders give an insider’s look at what it entails. In addition, some of those in attendance may be able to get a face-to-face interview, something that normally is given only to finalists during the application process.

The 12-week fall session begins Aug. 26, which prepares emerging businesses to develop their product, test through target groups, all the while meeting with Betaspring mentors. The accelerator’s offices in Providence’s Knowledge District include work space for all participants, and the program also has the potential to provide seed capital. The formal end of the program includes a pitch session to potential investors. And it is a process that has worked.

So far, 72 companies have participated in Betaspring, and 58 are still active, with funding of about $25 million following the graduates.

Recent Betaspring graduates that have been in the news include: TennisHub, which took the technology special award at the recently concluded Rhode Island 2013 Business Plan Competition; Splitwise, which made an appearance on Bloomberg Television; Socialping, which found its way into TechCrunch; and KnowYo (formally prepmatic), which graduated a year ago and was judged to have the best presentation at this year’s Launch event in Silicon Valley in March.

Betaspring’s most recent launch event, held May 2, was covered by the Boston Globe, which headlined the piece “A few start-ups worth keeping on the radar.”

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